Chevron plant upgrade promises more jobs and more greenhouse gases

Chevron has maintained major facilities in Richmond for more than a century. (courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

Chevron’s billion-dollar upgrade project, initially proposed almost ten years ago, reached a major milestone this week when the city of Richmond released its more than 1100-page draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the refinery modernization plan.

Union workers welcomed the prospect that the project finally will move forward and bring much-needed jobs to the city. But environmentalists were more skeptical, questioning the adequacy of efforts to offset a predicted increase in greenhouse gases from the project noted in the report.

The proposal includes replacing Chevron’s hydrogen plant, which is more than 50 years old. It also involves improving some existing equipment, such as the refinery’s sulfur recovery units, which remove sulfur from crude oil. Pipelines and electrical equipment will be upgraded and other energy efficiency measures will be adopted.

“The installation of more reliable equipment will ultimately improve community health and worker safety,” said Richmond Pastor Marcus Mitchell, on behalf of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 342.

Many workers are hopeful that the project will soon be approved, bringing back hundreds of construction jobs that were lost when the project was halted in 2010.

“It impacted families and children, and they suffered,” said Greg Feere, an officer of the Contra Costa Building Trades Union. “This happened a month and a half before Christmas.”